Publication Series

Constructing the Study of Islamic Art

Architecture in Muslim Communities from the Maghreb to Sumatra

This exhibition focuses on the historic and vernacular
architecture of communities that are now or once were Muslim, from the Maghreb
and Andalusian Spain through Turkey, the Hijaz, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and
North Central Sumatra. Throughout these
areas a shared vocabulary rose through the crafts of weaving, carving, and
zellij (mosaic); materials such as stone, earth, wood, plaster, bamboo, and
reed; and a repertoire of natural and geometric motifs.Simultaneously a diverse forms and patterns
arose as a result of the distinctive climatic, ecological, and geographic
circumstances in each part of the territory depicted in these images. In the
structures shown we can read shifting geo-political, ethnic, spiritual,
economic realities that changed over time. The exhibition is not simply a
catalogue of the already well-documented forms and motifs of architecture in
the Muslim world: domes and arches, the layouts of mosques, tombs, and other
monuments; the decorative and geometric motifs found in mosaics, carved wood,
and stucco.Rather the images are chosen
to demonstrate the inventiveness of local, vernacular solutions demonstrated by
the ingenious use of readily available materials, the strategies used to
protect from and mitigate the effects of severe climate conditions, and the honing
of traditional motifs and methods over time.

The structures shown in these photos demonstrate the
inventiveness and pragmatism of local builders, but the current condition of
some structures also reveals how they have adversely affected by modern
conditions in which the structures are neglected, and the communities that
inhabit them increasingly impoverished. Development,
whether planned or unregulated, too often leads to the destruction of
communities and the structures built by them. Modernization is embodied by
skyscrapers, elevators, air-conditioning and intentionally wasteful
consumerism. Traditional villages and centuries old vernacular architecture is too
often left to the poorest, most elderly citizens.

Polluted seas, melting icecaps, deforestation, and climate
change are evidence of the kind of increasing environmental devastation that
makes it imperative for architects and designers to play a role in reversing
the rampant destruction of the environment. Revitalizing urban design in a way
that connects architecture to local history and landscapes can give communities
to a sustainable future. By combining vernacular architecture and cutting-edge
technology, designers can address contemporary needs by developing forms,
materials, and techniques that respond to contemporary needs in ways that are
relevant, locally-sourced, and sustainable.

The structures, skills, and motifs shown in the photographs,
although disparate, are connected in sometimes surprising ways: the coral, tower houses of 19th century
Jeddah, have roshans carved from Sumatran, decorated with Indian cotton and Afghan
carpets, and set with Chinese porcelain. In some instances, they were also designed
by Turkish architects. The intricate zellij of the Alhambra is an example of a
skill still practiced by the artisans of Fez, some of whom recently traveled to
Manhattan to create new galleries in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The
ancient art of weaving, used not only to create fabric, but also to weave wool,
bamboo or reed into walls, tents, sails, roof, and other building materials, is
still practiced. In these ways artisans and local builders carry forward
ancient traditions proven effective over millennia to mitigate extreme heat and
cold, conserve fuel and energy, provide shelter, and accommodate the activities
of daily life. The United Nations now recognizes that the “creative economy
goes beyond classical economics to embrace a new paradigm of development that
includes social and cultural dimensions”
UNESCO’s criteria defining world cultural heritage, both tangible and
intangible, states “that it should bear an exceptional testimony to a living or
threatened cultural tradition and that it should be directly or tangibly
associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, beliefs, or artistic
works of universal significance.”1

These photographs chosen for this exhibition bear witness the
applicability of local solutions to design and construction problems, and
record the continual flux of knowledge, skills and aesthetics. In addition to
conveying the complexity of cultural and historical exchange, they reflect my
personal experience. I lived in Indonesia (1985-88 and 1991-2002); worked with
Moroccan women weavers of the Middle Atlas (2006-8), and taught in Chittagong
(2010), Vietnam (2008, 2012-13) and Jeddah (2014-16).

There are no one-dimensional identities; heritage is a
complex meld of historical, geographical and ethnic patterns, persisting but
altering over time. Some examples are well known, such as the Great Mosque and
Cathedral of Cordoba, a world monument, acclaimed for its historical and
architectural significance to Christianity and Islam. Others are less well
known, such as the Cham towers of Central and South Vietnam. Fewer than thirty
of these structures, built between the 6th and 17th centuries, still stand. In
the style of Shivite Hindu-Buddhist temples, these towers attest to centuries
of exchange between India and Southeast Asia. An ethnic minority in Vietnam and
Cambodia today, the Cham, who converted to Islam during the 16th century,
regard these ancient structures as centers of worship and links with their
ancestral heritage.

These photographs, some of which illustrate HABITAT:
Vernacular Architecture for a Changing Planet, ed. Sandra Piesik, Thames &
Hudson and Abrams, 2017, are evidence of the art and skill of builders, whose
inventive design solutions, skills and structures, enrich us all.